Bridge project causes big uproar

Thursday

Oct 25, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 25, 2007 at 7:46 PM

A DOT spokesperson says Route 96 plans are unlikely to change at this point.

Billie Owens and Jessica Pierce

Business owners and officials in Victor and Farmington are outraged over the state’s handling of the upcoming Route 96 construction project, which will disrupt local traffic for about six months next year.

The state Department of Transportation, they say, has left the public out of the loop and disregarded the $3.6 million project’s impact on businesses, residents and the local infrastructure.

The bridge over the Ontario Central Railroad line and Great Brook will be replaced. Built in 1964, it has a host of structural problems. Rochester company Crane Hogan was awarded the contract last month.

There are conflicting reports about whether the project — namely, the detour from Maple Avenue in the village of Victor to County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) to Route 332 in Farmington — will remain as planned or whether other options are being considered.

Victor Mayor John Holden said he was under the impression other routes are still under consideration. He said DOT officials told him to expect a summary of their proposed detour Nov. 3.

But a DOT spokeswoman said Wednesday afternoon the chances are remote that anything will change at this point, in spite of what has become a massive lobbying effort spearheaded by one of the area’s most prominent business owners, Kitty Van Bortel.

Van Bortel — owner of a Subaru car dealership in the town of Victor — and supporters are pushing the DOT to skip the big detour and instead create an on-site detour or a temporary bridge bypass.

That scenario would cost at least $1.6 million and pose many other complications, said Lori Maher, DOT spokeswoman, who said it’s not a realistic option.

The only other possibility still on the table is adding a second detour route along Plastermill Road to McMahon Road not open to commercial trucks. That would siphon some of the traffic from the primary detour on Maple Avenue.

Holden, who lives on Maple Avenue, said a 2006 traffic study showed that about 16,620 vehicles a day drove down Route 96 where construction is planned.

“Let’s say that over half of them or two-thirds of them decide to use Maple Avenue,” Holden said. “The increased traffic would have a huge impact on not only street conditions but also on the residents.”

Victor Town Supervisor Leslie Bamann is also concerned about the wear and tear on the streets, plus the challenge ambulances and firetrucks may face negotiating sidestreets and backroads. She also aid the economic impact is “insurmountable.”

The Ontario County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote tonight on a resolution opposing the project. And a special meeting between the town and village boards of Victor has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12.

Also, state legislators are being lobbied to change the DOT plans.

The actions come after a spirited meeting Monday at DiPacific’s restaurant in Farmington, where DOT officials got an earful from residents, merchants and local authorities.

“There are serious safety and emergency evacuation issues,” said Van Bortel. “Businesses are going to be devastated by this. We all depend so much on drive-through traffic.”

Van Bortel said the village will lose $800,000 in sales tax revenue if her business alone loses 10 percent of its sales.

The concerns are valid, said Maher, but the project “is what it is.”

Chances are remote that anything will change at this point, she added, although she acknowledged the DOT did an inadequate job keeping the citizenry informed.

“We’ve learned a few lessons along the way,” Maher said. “We are human people.”
The project was first presented to Victor authorities in 2005. A couple of meetings took place in Victor but none in neighboring Farmington, which has a number of businesses along the affected route.

“Nobody said anything to me about it,” said Farmington Town Supervisor Ted Fafinski.

After the project was unveiled two years ago, the next public meeting took place after the construction contract had been awarded last month. During the two intervening years, the DOT provided no updates and did not hold further meetings. Maher said the state authority was not aware of opposition until this month.

“We’ll do better in the future,” Maher said.

Billie Owens can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 320, or at bowens@mpnewspapers.com. Jessica Pierce can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 250, or at jpierce@mpnewspapers.com.